The presidential office on Friday welcomed the court's decision to revoke impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's detention, which followed a joint investigation team's execution of a court warrant and the prosecution's subsequent indictment.
The Seoul Central District Court's surprise decision Friday "belatedly righted wrongs resulting from illegality in the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials' investigation," read the presidential office's note to reporters, referring to the investigative body that led the joint probe team into Yoon's alleged self-coup through martial law imposition in December.
"The presidential office and citizens are anticipating the President's prompt return to his position" the note also read.
This came as Yoon's chief of staff Chung Jin-suk presided over an emergency meeting with presidential secretaries at the presidential office in Seoul.
Yoon's legal team also hailed the court decision, saying the Seoul Central District Court had "restored justice." It also urged the prosecution to promptly release Yoon from prison instead of exercising its right to file an "immediate complaint," as stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Act. Citing a legal precedent, Seok Dong-hyeon, one of Yoon's lawyers, said that a court ruling on a person's arrest cannot be challenged by the prosecution, describing such an option as "unconstitutional."
Yoon's legal representatives also claimed that Friday's ruling is proof that the CIO had deliberately chosen to seek Yoon's arrest warrant at a likeminded court — namely the Seoul Western District Court — and have it issued there, instead of a proper one, the Seoul Central District Court.
Yoon's attorneys on Feb. 4 filed the complaint with the Seoul Central District Court to reverse the court decision to place Yoon under arrest.
Yoon has been detained at the Seoul Detention Center since Jan. 15, becoming South Korea's first sitting president to be put in jail. He was transported to and from the detention center to attend his recent impeachment hearings.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
